PREMIUM TIMES
Controversial Nigerian singer Dammy Krane, aka Johnson Oyindamola, has been released from police custody nearly a week after his detention at the Force Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (FCID) in Abuja.
The arrest stemmed from allegations of defamation against his colleague, Davido. The controversy ignited on 22 August when the singer publicly accused Davido of orchestrating his arrest.
He claimed that Davido paid law enforcement to detain him over supposed involvement in illegal activities related to Flutterwave and cryptocurrency scams.
The 32-year-old singer further warned that Davido should be held responsible if anything happened to him while in custody.
The release followed a public plea from social media activist Verydarkman (VDM), who, after visiting the police station on Wednesday, recounted his encounter with Dammy Krane, who blamed Davido for his predicament.
VDM appealed to the 31-year-old music star, asking him not to use his influence to keep Dammy Krane in detention. The activist said the “Unavailable” hitmaker is not “an oppressor” and urged him to give the singer a second chance.
On Thursday, VDM announced the news via an Instagram post, where a video showed a newly released Dammy Krane expressing his gratitude to him.
In the post, VDM thanked Davido for responding to his plea and releasing Dammy Krane.
Dammy Krane, in his first public statement after his release, apologised to Davido for the allegations he had made, particularly the accusation that Davido was involved in the death of their mutual friend, Tagbo Umeike, who died in October 2017.
Despite their differences, Dammy Krane, in the video shared by VDM, stated that he regretted the defamation and reassured that Davido remains his brother.
He said, “I want to say a big thank you to my brother. I know there are a lot of words that ought not to be said. I know. I want to apologise for this Tagbo death allegation. You all should still remember David is my brother. And we are going to find a major ground to resolve everything.”
The feud between Dammy Krane and Davido was long before the arrest.
In June 2024, Dammy Krane refused to back down from allegations against Davido despite a cease-and-desist order served by the latter.
The order sought to hold Dammy Krane accountable for defamatory statements, including accusing Davido of murder in a tweet that went viral. This tweet, which also made a mockery of Davido’s wedding was deemed offensive and led to Davido’s legal action, demanding a retraction within 24 hours.
